Last year, 23.8 per cent of students in the UK’s higher education institutions were international students – 15.1 per cent of undergraduates and 45.8 per cent all postgraduates.
With overseas tuition being often 3x that of home students’ tuition fees, it’s difficult to accept that, in exchange, international students receive a fraction of the benefits of being a student in the UK.
That’s even more difficult to accept when top UK universities publicise they wouldn’t stay afloat without overseas tuition fees.
The cost-benefit ratio for being an international student in the UK then becomes complex. Is the price of overseas tuition fair in exchange for the promise of higher quality education when professional opportunities are restricted?
The idea of needing to gain professional experience is very much accepted as a part of the overall educational experience for home students. But it can feel like international students are expected only to engage in the academic aspects of a course – and there is “suspicion” that international students trying to build their career are somehow economic, rather than education migrants – as if there is an easy or meaningful distinction between the two.
